Observations and Contemplations
by celeste9
Summary: [Suikoden IV] Sometimes, Sigurd really wished he could be more like Hervey.


_Author's Note: General spoilers for the pirates' backstory and for how a certain member of the Adonis Attack joins the 108 stars._

* * *

"Hey, Sigurd!"

There was no mistaking that over-loud, jovial tone, and sure enough, when Sigurd turned around, he saw Hervey striding towards him.

Though Sigurd did raise an eyebrow at his friend's unexpected companion, the solemn ex-Kooluk captain who had turned traitor and joined them only shortly before. Helmut looked rather bemused as he trailed a step behind Hervey, as though he wasn't quite sure how he had come to be doing what he was doing.

Sigurd could empathize. Hervey still made him feel that way, more often than he would have liked.

"Hervey," he nodded in greeting. "Helmut."

"Oh, you know him, then?"

"Not exactly," Sigurd replied, with a small smile to the uncomfortable-looking man. "I don't think we've ever been formally introduced."

Sensing an opportunity to rise to the occasion, Hervey moved between them. "Helmut, may I present my good friend and fellow pirate, Sigurd," he said generously.

Helmut offered his hand, which Sigurd shook firmly. "Pleasure to meet you," he said, though the pirate noted astutely the slight inflection in his tone and the way his eyes had lowered quickly from Sigurd's face to the ground, and also how he dropped Sigurd's hand as soon as was polite.

Hervey, however, remained blissfully unaware and seemed to deem this meeting a success (or at least, not worthy of wasting any more time and/or interest on), as he continued on towards the stairs. "Lazlo was looking for some companions to go and explore Mountain Mass Island, and I told him we'd come. You don't mind, do you? Lazlo figures we'll make landfall in a couple hours. I got Helmut to come along, too. Figured you guys could use the exercise, eh?"

Sigurd glanced sideways at Helmut, who was still remaining a step or two behind. The former Kooluk merely shrugged.

Sigurd managed to stifle a sigh. Hervey was always doing this to him. Making plans as if Sigurd never had anything better to do than follow him around wherever his latest whim took him, as though he were nothing more than a pet dog. As though Sigurd wasn't, in fact, the elder of the two and the one longer in Lady Kika's employ.

"Supposedly there's some hidden treasure there or something. Couldn't hurt to go along, maybe Lazlo'll let us keep some stuff," Hervey was saying, and Sigurd forced himself to actually listen.

"Hm, right," he agreed. He knew it was no use to argue and he didn't really mind going. It did get a tad dull onboard all the time, and he probably would've gone ashore when they anchored anyway. Glancing again at Helmut, he murmured, "Hervey? Since when have you been friends with Helmut? I distinctly recall you saying Lazlo should've killed him, and yet now you're inviting him along to this island?"

Hervey grinned and commented, loudly enough for Helmut to hear, "Oh, I punched him first."

Helmut raised a hand to his face, which, Sigurd realized, did look a bit bruised, and there was a scab on his lip. "He did indeed."

Slowly, Sigurd shook his head. It seemed he never could fathom Hervey, no matter how long he remained in his company. The man was impossible! For all his rages, he was boisterous and affable, and Sigurd knew for a fact that he'd learned the name of every person on the entire ship. Though, of course, that could be attributed to the fact that the pirate was very easily bored, and Sigurd simply wasn't amusing enough for Hervey to converse with all the time.

But of all the people for Hervey to befriend… Helmut? Sigurd had yet to notice Helmut speak to anyone since he had arrived onboard. He was quiet and withdrawn, and no doubt ill at ease on Lazlo's ship.

And yet, it made a strange sort of sense. With his geniality and open smile, Hervey seemed to draw people in, make them feel welcome and comfortable. And though Sigurd found him rather too loud and sometimes impolite, there was no doubt he made people laugh. Could Hervey make even Helmut laugh? Sigurd rather thought he could. Probably had already.

Sigurd could picture it, actually. Hervey had probably stormed at Helmut and caught him unawares, yelled for awhile and then threw his fist. Helmut had most likely seen it coming and just took it, rather than cause more trouble. He probably got knocked off balance. Then, somewhat mollified, Hervey had grasped Helmut's hand and hauled him to his feet, smiling his toothy grin, and cracked some joke or another. Sigurd would bet anything Helmut had laughed, maybe out of pure surprise more than anything else.

Hervey could do that to you.

Shaking out of his reverie, Sigurd found that it was now he who lagged behind the others. Hervey was chatting animatedly, as Helmut nodded and hardly seemed able to get a word in edgewise. Sigurd smiled slightly and broadened his steps. Hervey could be a bit of an idiot sometimes, but at least he was a friendly idiot.

* * *

It was nearly dark by the time the expedition party tramped back onto the ship, weary and laden with bags. Turns out the place was a virtual goldmine, and the girl called Rene had led them around digging up various sorts of items. Of course, the island had been crawling with monsters as well, which tended to be quite annoying when one was attempting to dig up treasure.

Nevertheless, Lazlo had been pleased with their haul, and thanked them profusely for all their help and hard work before he headed off to the baths. Helmut, too, had bid the pirates goodnight, so they found themselves alone on the deck. Sigurd smoothed a stray hair back into place and suggested, "I wouldn't mind a bath myself. Think we should catch up Lazlo?"

Hervey shook his head. "Nah, that can wait. I've gotta do something first."

Noting the direction of his stare, Sigurd turned to glance across the deck, where some feet away Kika stood at the railing, leaning over and looking at the last rays of sunlight fading over the ocean. "Hervey, I don't think-"

But the younger man had already set off toward the pirate captain, leaving Sigurd to trail after, muttering to himself. "Can't you see she doesn't want to be disturbed?" he said, exasperated.

Hearing their approach, Kika nodded to them both. "Hervey, Sigurd. Back from your treasure hunt?"

"Aye," said Hervey. "Miss us?" His back was resting against the side of the ship, arms spread across it, and he was grinning and gazing unabashedly at Kika.

Could he _be _anymore obvious? He was one step away from literally throwing himself at the woman. Come to think of it, Sigurd was almost surprised Hervey hadn't yet done so. "No doubt it was an enormous relief without you gallivanting around, making noise and causing trouble," Sigurd interjected. When he addressed Kika, his tone was immediately softer, his smile gentle. "I hope the day saw you well?"

Sure, maybe Sigurd was in love with his captain too, but at least he was subtle about it. And after all, he owed his life to Lady Kika.

Smile faltering a bit, Sigurd wondered what would happen to his friendship with Hervey should Kika actually respond to either of their affections. Or should one or the other come right out and tell her of his feelings. Would it be such an awful thing, to tell Kika he loved her? Considering how he'd feel if Hervey did such a thing, Sigurd rather thought it must be. Would, ultimately, it come down to friendship or love?

Perhaps it would rest on Hervey. Sigurd had to admit, he couldn't see himself telling Kika anything of the sort, at least not anytime soon, not when it could jeopardize the relationship they already had, and he owed so much to her. He liked to think Hervey respected him enough to do the same, but then again, they'd never _actually _vocalized their feelings, had they?

But of course, this all was ignoring the very important factor of the feelings of Kika herself, and somehow, Sigurd didn't think she was all that interested in either of them, in a romantic sense. Kika was a strong woman and she didn't need a man to "complete her," as some women thought they did. She never talked of her past, but sometimes (like just now, before Hervey had interrupted) he caught her staring and thinking and Sigurd thought maybe she'd given her heart to someone who'd gone, and hadn't quite gotten it back.

Kika was staring intently up at him, and Sigurd realized he'd been lost in thought for rather a long moment. He stepped back.

Hervey ran a hand through his light brown hair, rumpling it into even more disarray than usual, and smirked slightly. "Huh, me, cause problems? All I do is liven up this hole a bit. Poor Kika here was probably bored to tears without me!"

She put one hand on her hip. "Yet somehow, someway, I managed without you."

Hervey grinned and grabbed her hand, raising it to his lips to kiss. Several times, in fact. "With any luck, you'll never have to do it again."

To Sigurd's astonishment, Kika smiled slowly, and Hervey's own grin, though it hardly seemed possible, widened.

Sometimes, Sigurd really wished he could be more like Hervey.

_

* * *

Final Note: It's quite possible that Sigurd would know about that whole thing with Kika's old love, and possibly have been there while it was happening, but I chose to write this as if he wasn't. Mostly because I don't know much about it and it didn't have enough bearing on the story to either make it up or look up whether Konami's released any info about it._


End file.
